Bonus Chapter
Alice shuffled, shifting her feet beneath her on the soft sofa cushions. It was hard to move with the weight of the now fully grown Ivy planted across her lap.
Adam, seeing her struggle, laughed but did not offer any help. Knowing him inside and out, she wouldn't expect or want any different. That was Adam. Her Adam.
Ste and Jamie sat opposite. Both had fussed the dog for a while before settling in front of the television, entangled in each other, and arguing about the contestants of the show 'Glow Up.'
"She's a total stuck up bitch, but I like her," Jamie was saying.
"She won't last." Ste shook his head.
Zoe was also engaged in the television, but Gary was focused purely on his phone.
"Look!" Gary raised his phone to show the others a picture.
'A baby.' Alice frowned, puzzl
That's it guys - hope you liked the story <3
Ste wiped his mouth for the third time. For some reason, he seemed to be drooling. His eyes were doing the same, streaming a constant river of tears as he squinted in the midday sun.The smell of antiseptic wasn't helping either. Ste had always hated the smell of hospitals. They were all the same, and while he understood they had to remain sterile for patient safety, the clinical coldness brought back memories he didn't want to relive.When he reached ward 9, a motherly looking woman with a blonde perm looked up from the desk. 'Nurse Smith,' her badge read."I... erm, I'm h—here to see Adam," he stammered, feeling like a criminal. For a second, he thought she would shout at him to leave. Ask how he dared to show his face here, the murdering little scroat?Instead, she smiled."Go straight in," she said and pointed to the room on the left. "Hand gel is on the wall."
Alice pulled her clothes from the drawer Joseph had assigned for her. Of the ten drawers he had in the wardrobe and chest set, he'd only managed to clear one... and sparingly.'There isn't enough room for me here,'she sighed, dropping to her knees and blowing the hair from her face.The apartment was stylish and sleekly decorated. It was perfect... for Joseph.Alice felt as though she was constantly in his way. Under his feet and taking up space that should belong to him. Forever using the last of his milk and forgetting to fetch more. He said he didn't mind, but Alice knew he was saying it to be kind. He was her best friend, and he would never make her feel unwelcome, as much of a burden as she was.Joseph’s apartment was beautiful, but it didn't feel like home.'I miss my family,'she realised. Somehow, despite all his flaws, she still missed
2017 - 5 years ago.Jamie slung his bag over his shoulder and slipped out of the door before his sister left for school. Instead of heading toward that hellhole, he turned left and skipped over the fence at the end of the Avenue. The bench old Mr Peterson had placed beside his allotment made the perfect place to hide, camouflaged behind a veil of runner beans, canes, and overgrown tomato plants.He would wait for his sister to leave then take a slow walk, timing his arrival perfectly so he wouldn't have to linger in the courtyard before lesson one. Adam and the others were getting wise to his tricks, so he had to leave it later and later every day. Luckily, none of the teachers had noticed. They never paid attention to Jamie. Nobody did anymore.He wore the blandest clothing possible. Scuffed, off-brand shoes and plain clothes. Anything to make him invisible.Instead of going to the front gate,
Alice's head lowered further and further as she listened to Jamie's tale. By the time he finished speaking, every muscle in her body had slumped so dramatically she was almost one with the sofa."And that was just one particularly horrible day," Jamie said. "Every day was like that. School was a warzone. It was hell. I spent most nights staring at a pile of pills, trying to pluck up the courage to kill myself."The thought of Adam stomping on her little brother because he had the nerve to piss himself in fear made her stomach turn. How could he be that cruel? How could anyone be that cruel? To drive another kid almost to suicide and for what? To entertain himself? To make himself feel powerful?'He was just as cruel to you,'she realised. Images of the night he tried to tie her up like a dog and pull her out into the street flashed through her mind. Then there was the time he almost let his friends rape her
Alice sat on the bus, hands firmly grasping her bag. She was travelling into the city and not to the 'so-called' good side.After her job at the gallery fell though, due to it having to close, the Jobcentre helped her find alternative employment. It was only part-time, but as an art and design technician at Rowshill school, she would at least gain experience.The area was rough. As Alice glanced about at the signs of urban decay—closed storefronts covered in graffiti and open bins spewing trash—she told herself to quit being a snob. People here were poorer than in her town, but they were still just people.'You're going to be fine,'she assured herself.As she wandered through the gates, a group of male students gaped at her. One of them said something she didn't quite catch, so she continued walking to the office, head held high.By the time
After the final bell, Mr Lowe took Alice aside and told her she'd done a great job. She smiled and thanked him, feeling silly since all she'd done was clean up and count stuff. Any idiot could excel at the tasks she'd completed today. Still—it was nice that her boss was taking the time to give her good feedback and make her feel valued.'I'm going to love working here,'she thought."I think you're going to fit in well," he said, echoing her thoughts with a reassuring smile before telling her to go and catch the bus. It stopped just over the road half past every hour, and she'd manage to get the 3:30 bus if she hurried."Thank you, see you tomorrow," Alice said before practically jogging down the hallways. Most of the students had cleared out the second the bell sounded, leaving the old building eerily quiet. Her footsteps echoed as she hurried to the main reception to sign out."
Alice tried to swallow away the lump in her throat, but it refused to budge. It sat heavy, an unwelcome guest in her windpipe that only made it harder to breathe. She glanced up, trying not to make eye contact with any of them while feeling their eyes all over her.With a sweaty hand, she smoothed down her skirt, regretting the choice to shift her legs and show off the curves of her thighs to the guy at her side.None of the guys seemed surprised when the gang surrounded them.Riley stood and fist-bumped a couple of the lads."A'ight?" he drawled before sitting again."We spotted them dudes who jumped Jay, down by the chippy," one of the lads said. He sniffed and wiped his nose before shifting on the spot, waiting to see what Riley would say."Felix?" Riley asked."I'll deal with it," Felix confirmed. As he stood from the benc
Riley dragged her for three blocks, never letting go of her wrist. The entire time her mind was dreaming up scenarios, imagining what he might do to her. What he might make her do.It wasn't so long ago she was in this exact situation, dreading what Adam would make her do next.'And you liked it,'her mind piped up.'You liked being at his mercy.'She had because deep down, she knew he wouldn't do anything to hurt her too badly. He wouldn't ruin her. It had felt like a game—a strangely erotic and sometimes scary game—but a game nonetheless.This felt different. This boy had an aura of danger and death. One false move and someone could get seriously hurt. Either Mike, Adam or even one of his own minions—the triplets. They were a dopey pair, but she wouldn't want them to get hurt.When he finally stopped moving, they w